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This chart from a new Government Accountability briefing shows the increase in cyber attacks on U.S. government agencies. The number of attacks have jumped from 5,503 in 2006 to 42,887 in 2011, an increase of nearly 680 percent.

“GAO has identified vulnerabilities in systems that monitor and control sensitive processes and physical functions supporting the nation’s critical infrastructures,” GAO info-security chief Gregory C. Wilshusen says. “These and similar weaknesses can be exploited by threat actors, with potentially severe effects.”